Aurora's 25 Topic Challenge
by Codiak
Summary: My shot at a drabble challenge, issued by Aurora Borealis 97.
1. Topics

****This has been edited.**

* * *

**The Challenge Topics**

**1. Ectoranium**

**2. Sunlight**

**3. Ectoplasm**

**4. Water**

**5. Post-Human Consciousness**

**6. Moonlight**

**7. Half Dead**

**8. Leaves**

**9. Parade of Time**

**10. Pine Trees**

**11. Blood Blossoms**

**12. Grass**

**13. Obsession**

**14. Stickers**

**15. Ghost King**

**16. Headphones**

**17. Powerful**

**18. Markers**

**19. Paulina's Shrine**

**20. Books**

**21. Spectrophobia**

**22. Arachnophobia**

**23. Box Lunch (the ghost)**

**24. Box Lunch (the meal)**

**25. Ghostly Wedding**


	2. Ectoranium

If he had just known what the results would've been… Maybe he wouldn't be in this situation.

"I was foolish," Vlad mused quietly. "I was a foolish, foolish man." He sighed heavily and blinked in the darkness of his cell. No one could hear him, though; the walls were soundproof. No one _wanted_ to hear him. He was the outcast of the entire planet, and he was merely lucky enough that they decided not to kill him when he reentered Earth's atmosphere.

They never mentioned why, but he had a tiny inkling that it was because of Daniel.

"Why couldn't I have seen this coming?"

He hadn't seen a single one of them since his capture. Not the pretty face of Madeline or the studying eyes of Jasmine. He assumed that Jack hated him after everything that had occurred, and Vlad wouldn't blame him. Lastly, there was Daniel, the world hero. Not even a ghostly sign that the younger hybrid knew where Vlad was being held.

"…it's my fault."

He frowned, thoughts lingering on this past. His ghost half had been removed almost immediately. That didn't concern him, however, despite the emptiness he'd felt since. Ever since he had acquired his powers, he'd had nothing but revenge in mind, only trying to get what he thought was rightfully his. Madeline, Daniel, the world. Everything he desired. If only he hadn't of been so blind…

If only he had known sooner before he travelled into space with Jack…

If only he had known that the asteroid had been made of ectoranium…

Maybe he wouldn't be in this situation. He could've found another way to-

"No," Vlad whispered. "This is for the best. I shouldn't have gone after what wasn't mine to begin with. I should have seen what I had…"

Although he still couldn't help but to dream about what his life would've been like if he had succeeded, he no longer wished to have the choice of that life. He knew he didn't deserve it, and the idea of spending the rest of his life locked away wasn't so bad after a while.

But one thing kept nagging at him, and that was the material of the asteroid.

"Ectoranium…" Vlad chuckled a little and leaned back against the wall. "How ironic…"


	3. Sunlight

Sam would admit it to none, but... She secretly loved the sunlight.

As a Goth, that was considered highly unacceptable, of course, but she couldn't help to feel a bit of happiness when she walked outside in the shining sun, having the rays warm her face and make her hair glisten.

Alas, she hid that detail of her life. She tried to ignore it as much as she loved it.

Sam gave a small grin as she made her way toward the park, the sun being the only visible object in the clear blue sky. _So cliché_, she thought to herself. She didn't care, though. She was in the sun, all without a single care in the world! She was subtly tanning herself by using the very same rays that helped to keep her beloved plants alive!

She acted like a bat whenever her parents pulled back her curtains. She covered up heavily at the pool or whenever it was truly hot. She swore from Amity Park to Hell that she hated the sunlight. But they were all lies, and only she knew it.

Sam chuckled at her secret as she ventured closer to the sides of her two best friends.

"Why so happy, Sam?" Tucker joked. "Is the sun finally giving you the happies?"

She quickly forced a scowl and punched his arm.

"Ow!"

"If I've told you once, Foley," Sam began over Danny's laughter, "I've told you a million times. I hate the sun and all its heated glory."


	4. Ectoplasm

"But is it considered ectoplasm?" Sam pushed.

"I don't know," Danny countered.

"Maybe it's…" Tucker trailed off, trying to think. They were resting under the shade of a tree in the middle of the park. Danny had beautifully cut himself in his ghost form on a tree branch as he had been lowering to the ground with his two friends. Acting as human, he was currently narrowing his eyes at the scratch across his forearm that had leaked the slightest bit of green _something_ before he had changed back.

"But is it blood or ectoplasm?" Sam started up again. "Do ghosts even bleed?"

Danny shrugged. "I don't think we've ever thought about this before."

"But ghosts are made of ectoplasm, right?" Tucker added.

"Yeah…"

"So wouldn't it be ectoplasm?"

"But I _shoot_ ectoplasm. Does that mean I'm shooting ghost blood?"

Sam made a face, muttering, "As cool as that sounds, I certainly hope not."

"And I always think of ectoplasm as that stuff that my parents fool around with," Danny finished.

"That green goop?" Tucker said.

"Yup."

"But the portal screwed up your DNA with ectoplasm. If ectoplasm is part of your molecules, then it would be part of your cells and cells are in your bloodstream, right?"

"I don't know, dude. I suck at biology or chemistry or whatever the hell you're talking about."

"So it's ghost blood," Sam stated.

"Or it's…ectoplasm."

"Ectoplasmic ghost blood?" Tucker offered.

Danny groaned. "How did we even get _on_ this conversation?"

Sam cleared her throat. "We landed, you changed back, and then you looked at the cut on your arm and was like, 'What's this green crud?'"

"Oh…yeah. So…"

"So what?"

"So…what _is_ this green crud?"

Tucker and Sam spared a glance to each other for a moment before simultaneously answering, "Ectoplasmic green crud?"


	5. Water

"So thirsty… Need…drink."

"Water fountain."

"No!"

"Why?"

"Uh…_ew_. Water."

"Too bad."

"Please! Need…drink."

"Do I look like a soda machine?"

"No, but you have money and vending machines take money."

"…"

"Please?"

"No. Water fountain."

"I am not using the water fountain. Johnny 13's shadow came outta there one time."

"Ha… Yeah…"

"Come on!"

"Drink some water."

"You suck!"

"I don't care. I'm not wasting my money."

"…you're rich."

"Point?"

"Gimme a dollar so I don't dehydrate. That's my point."

"No."

"Please!"

"Ask Danny."

"Danny's broke."

"How do you know?"

"Because he was going to pawn forty bucks off of you for the new _Doom_ game."

"Was he now?"

"Yes."

"Use the water fountain."

"I will not."

"Then die of thirst."

"…you're cruel. You know that?"

"It's my specialty."

"…"

"You're breaking."

"…am not."

"Water…" Tucker gave Sam a glare as he moved toward the school water fountain. She triumphantly crossed her arms and smirked. "It's healthier!" she called after him.

"Stop trying to save the planet!" he snapped over his shoulder.

"You'll thank me when you're older!"

"And when I have enough disgusting water to peg you with a hundred water balloons!"

Danny raised an eyebrow at his friends, only just joining their company. "Do I want to know?"

"Do you want water?" Sam asked.

"No…"

"Then you don't want to know."

"…okay…?"


	6. PostHuman Consciousness

Danny folded his hands behind his head and stared up at his ceiling.

She had said it, and yet, he had no real clue what it meant. It had been making him think ever since he had returned from City Hall after gleefully putting Walker in his place. His parents hadn't returned home, so he was left to mull over what his mother had said. And what it meant.

"That doesn't make any sense…" Danny whined to no one. It probably didn't help that he was a C student, but still. "What the hell does that mean?" Frustrated, he climbed off his bed and lumbered over to his computer, booting it up.

Ten minutes of rather pointless searching later, and he found…nothing. Danny rested his head on a hand and poked the power button for the computer. "What does it mean? Ugh…" He took to pouting and glaring at the black screen, mentally blaming it for everything wrong in the world.

Eventually bored with that, he resumed resting in the middle of his bed and staring at his ceiling. He worked every part of his brain, but he just could not find an accurate meaning to that tiny string of words. He just couldn't.

"Ugh! What the hell does "post-human consciousness" mean anyway? Of all the things she could've called me, why did it have to be something that I don't understand? Ugh! Mom! It's all your fault! _You're_ a manifestation of post-human consciousness! Not me!"

"Danny?"

Said teen froze on his bed, casually looking toward his door at his sister. "Uh…hey…"

The redhead nodded once before shaking her head and vanishing from sight, muttering something that sounded a lot like, "I swear he's losing what he never had…"

Danny scowled at where she has stood and reached for his cell. Maybe Sam could tell him what the heck it meant.


	7. Moonlight

I bit my lip and swung my legs back and forth over the ledge of the building we were perched on. Sam wanted to see the stars for a change.

So I flew her up to see them.

"Danny, look!" Sam exclaimed, pointing to a shooting star, eyes wide in delight.

I smiled softly. "Make a wish."

She rolled her eyes at me but closed them tight, careful not to voice her wish incase Desiree was near enough to hear. I gazed at her while she silently wished, taking in her features. The frame of her face and her soft lips… Sam opened her eyes and I glanced away, studying something else.

"The sky looks pretty tonight, don't you think, Danny?"

_You're pretty…_ "Yeah. It's gorgeous." She looked my way, and I realized that I had been staring at her again. I idiotically snapped my head away, most likely blushing like crazy, and worked to think of another topic. "So… The moonlight is cool."

Sam laughed and I held back a sigh at the sound of it. "Yeah, I guess. It illuminates everything, you know?"

My gaze trailed back to her, and I nodded stupidly. "It really does…" The light of the moon was currently reflecting off of her dark hair and the small breeze caused it to blow ever so slightly in little wisps. 'Angelic' was the word that came to my mind.

"Danny?"

"Huh?" I shook my head and came back to reality. "Yeah, Sam?"

"You were staring at me." And she simply _had_ to add, "Again."

"Oh… Um…sorry. I…uh…didn't realize it." I clicked my silver boots together and fiddled my thumbs like some moron.

"Do you want to know what I wished for?"

I tilted my head to the side at her, not expecting the question. "Uh… But if you tell, then…um…it doesn't come true. At least, that's what everyone says." _Get back on track, Fenton!_

Sam smiled shyly. "I'll show you if you close your eyes…"

Utterly confused, I slowly obeyed and fought to keep a goofy grin off my face. I felt the light touch of something on my lips and froze until that something removed itself. I blinked in shock at Sam, who was casually looking at everything but me.

"I…uh…" She brought her eyes to mine in what I guessed was fear of rejection. "I…uh…" I swallowed and sucked in a breath. "I liked that wish."

Sam pecked my lips again and bit down on her own as she pulled away, hiding a smile. "So… The moonlight is cool," she announced and gestured her head toward the sky.

I chuckled and let myself relax to enjoy the night with the girl my heart tugged toward. "Yeah… It is."


	8. Half Dead

_Sam._

**What, Danny?**

_I'm…half-dead._

**…seriously? You passed a note to tell me what I've known since I don't know…FRESHMAN YEAR?**

_Yeah._

**Why?**

_Why not? It was your fault!_

**Wow, Danny. Just…wow.**

_That's right. Feel bad._

**I will not feel bad. **

_:O WHY?_

**Because now you're abusing the power of pity.**

_Wtf?_

**Yeah. Exactly! I'm not gonna feel sorry that I half-killed you because you're trying to use it to pass the time in Lancer's class.**

_Psh. Well, then… Forget what I was going to say…_

**What were you gonna say?**

_Nothing, if that's how you're going to act, Sammy-kins._

**Do not call me that. And what was it?**

_Apologize._

**No!**

_Then you'll never know… And this could be very important. I could die tonight on patrol and you'll spend the rest of your average human life knowing that you could've listened to me!_

Sam leveled a stare at Danny and he pouted back, firmly crossing his arms.

**…fine. I'm sorry I half-killed you in ninth grade. Happy?**

_Yes._

**Well?**

_Well, what?_

**What were you going to tell me?**

_…guess what._

**What?**

_I'm…half-dead._

**NOT**** for long, Fenton.**

_Is that a threat to my wellbeing?_

**If I say yes, then people may think it was my fault you became a full ghost.**


	9. Leaves

"Hey, would you want to—"

"No."

"Hi, I'm Tucker. Whoa, nice shoes! Maybe we should—"

"I don't think so."

"…"

"No."

"I didn't even say anything!" Tucker hunched his shoulders and crashed beneath the tree next to the picnic table that he and his friends usual shared at lunch. Only today, Danny and Sam were somewhere else.

Probably sucking the air from each other's lungs via mouth.

Tucker firmly crossed his arms, glaring at the ground. He was always turned down by any girl he asked out. They just didn't like him like that. But what wasn't to like? He had style, charm, _and _class! He was an all right guy! "Not all right enough…"

A crisp brown leaf floated down from the tree branch above and landed beside him. He picked it up and pinched the edge of it, feeling it crumble. "I bet even you wouldn't agree to go out with me, right? What? Am I not "leaf-ish" enough for you?" He tore a bit of the leaf away and grounded it up in his hand. "You just think you're so awesome with your…crispy…leafy…goodness, don't you? I know you do. You think that you can have _any_ girl leaf you want because look at you! You're a perfect fall leaf! Who wouldn't want to go out with you? Who?"

Tucker destroyed a bit more of the leaf. "I bet that you have every girl leaf all over you because you're…not me! Yeah, you're not me! That's why the girl leaves like you! And since I'm not "leaf-ish," they would pass me over! They would just pass me over—"

"Tucker?"

He snapped his head up to see Valerie leaning on one foot, a smirk curving the corner of her mouth. "Hey, Val…"

"I'll pick you up at seven for the new slasher movie, 'kay?" She paused for a moment, snorting lightly. "Just…uh…leave your leafy friend at home, huh?"

As she turned on her heel and walked off, Tucker felt his face heat up. He hurriedly crumpled the rest of the leaf and hopped to his feet.

"…maybe these leaves aren't as bad as I thought…"


	10. Parade of Time

"Watcha doin'?" Dani asked as she floated around Clockwork.

It had only been a month since she had somehow stumbled across the Clock Tower, but she was quick to become a daily interference in Clockwork's schedule. Not that he didn't enjoy her company, of course. It certainly got lonely sometimes.

"Watching the parade," he explained, switching from a toddler to a young adult.

"You always say that. What does it _mean_?"

Clockwork sighed and stilled the screen he had been viewing. "I had to explain this to your counterpart…"

"Well, I'm not Danny."

"Oh, I know. You see, the Observers see things as they occur or only the immediate path something might take. But that's just it. _Might_ is the key word. They don't see what I see."

"Well, what do you see?" Dani chirped. She dropped to the floor with crossed legs and eagerly waited.

"I call it a parade. I see things from above. I see every path something may or may not take." She nodded, and he continued. "Obviously, certain decisions may decide the path, but I see every twist and turn."

"Uh huh. And?"

Clockwork subtly raised an eyebrow. "And what, Danielle Phantom?"

"What else? There has to be more."

"All right. Pretend the Observers are standing on the side of a parade. They're watching everything pass by, and they can see the crooked turn that the front floats are going to have a problem moving past. They will assume that the floats will crash into the turn. I see the parade from above, so I can see the crooked turn. But I can also see the other turn that will lead the floats straight on while the Observers do not."

"Oh… So while they have their minds set on one action, yours will be set on more?"

"Exactly."

"So you spend your days watching a parade and everything about it in the timelines?"

"Yes. The Parade of Time."

"Sweet. So when can I start?" Dani grinned wide and cocked her head to the side.

"Start what?" Clockwork mused, morphing into an old man.

"Oh, come on! I'd be a great apprentice."

The Time Keeper didn't answer her, instead smiling as he resumed watching his screens…and the Parade of Time.


	11. Pine Trees

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Ember muttered bitterly.

"So close!" Danny encouraged sarcastically from below her. She glanced down and glared at his smiling face.

Ember was currently attempting to climb to the top of a pine tree _without_ ghostly assistance. Why? Because Danny bet her twenty dollars that she couldn't do it. "You're going to have to pay up, dipstick!"

"I don't think so." Danny plopped onto his butt and leaned back on his elbows, enjoying the show. He might've neglected one important detail about said pine tree that Ember was climbing, but…she'd find out soon enough.

"Phantom?"

Danny lazily turned his head to the side. "Hey, Paulina."

The Latina instantly brightened at the fact that the infamous ghost boy knew her name, trying to contain her excitement as she dropped down next to him. "What are you doing?"

Danny pointed at Ember. "Watching her climb a tree."

"Why?"

"Because I bet her that she couldn't do it without using her ghost powers."

"Oh…" The girl rolled her shoulders and stuck her chest out, batting her eyes. "Well, maybe you would like to—"

"Wait! Look at this!" Danny leaned forward and grinned; Paulina furrowed her brow but followed his gaze. She covered her mouth and giggled at the sight. "Ember! Watch the squirrels, okay?"

Ember paused and stared down at him a second, questioning, "What?"

"The squirrels. They're pretty territorial."

The ghost stilled before slowly setting her attention at the top of the tree. A bushy squirrel chatted at her and flicked its tail. "Are you kidding me? Phantom, you never said anything about squirrels!"

"My bad…"

Ember bit her lip as the small animal scampered closer down the branches. "Shoo! Go away, you!"

"I'd get down, Ember."

"I am not losing this bet! I'll blast it!"

"That's using your ghost powers!"

She cursed under her breath and tried to move around the tree as the squirrel approached her. She could hear laughter from both of the teens below her and worked to control her anger; she didn't want her hair flaming at this moment. Danny laughed harder and rolled on his side as Ember fought to round the tree and get to the top while avoiding the chasing squirrel. Paulina kept up her giggling as well, thinking that maybe she'd get a chance to ask the ghost boy out once all of this was over.

By the time that Ember fell out of the tree, Danny was a sputtering mess, gasping for air. "I told you!" he yelled. "I so told you! Pay up!"

"That's it, baby pop!" Ember shouted, rising to her feet; her hair flamed high and he immediately sobered up.

"Erm… It was…a joke?"

"You're dead."

The last thing heard was a yelp as Danny disappeared through the ground, Ember right on his ghostly tail. Paulina waited a moment to see if her crush would return, but when nothing happened, she heavily sighed and forced herself to her feet.

"…and to think I was so close to the ghost boy…"


	12. Blood Blossoms

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

Sam twitched. The number of times she'd heard those words in the past five minutes was far too high. And she still had the entire school day to get through. She huffed and blew a few strands of hair out of her face as she slammed her locker shut. "What's so special about Valentine's Day?" she mumbled.

"Uh, Sam?"

"Yeah, Tuck?" Sam turned to face him and leaned against her locker. "What's up?"

"Have you noticed the flowers that they put up all over the school?"

She quirked an eyebrow at Tucker's nervousness before looking past him at a wreath hanging on the wall. It was made of pretty red flowers and was formed into the shape of a heart- "Oh, my…" Sam's eyes widened at the blood blossoms, and she latched onto Tucker's shoulders. "Where's Danny?"

"…I don't know."

"Well, we have to find him!" She immediately led the way down the hall, tugging him along by the hand.

"Wait, Sam!" Tucker complained. "This isn't going to work! If Danny gets here before we can find him, he might run into the flowers. We have to get rid of them!"

"Fine. I'll…find Danny. And you get rid of the flowers! Go, Tucker!" Sam sprinted off in one direction, and Tucker headed for the nearest wreath, awkwardly tearing it from the wall and moving on for the next.

"Danny?" Sam called in her rush; she skated down one hallway and then another. "Danny, where are you?" _Darn it!_ she cursed mentally. _I have to get to him before he gets to the flowers!_ "Danny!"

"Sam?"

The Goth jolted to a stop and spun around to see the confused face of her friend. "There you are!"

"Uh…yeah. Here I am," Danny remarked. "What's up? I could hear you from the other side of the school."

"Blood blossoms," Sam stated. "We have to get you out of here."

"…Sam—"

"It's too dangerous! Until Tucker gets the last of them gone, you're going to have to skip class."

"Sam—"

"And then we'll have to find a way to dispose of them. Maybe Tucker will eat them again…"

"But, Sam—"

"I think I got all the wreaths!" Tucker came bounding up behind them, catching sight of Danny at the last second. "Dude, get back!"

Danny sighed and shook his head, nonchalantly walking forward and pulling a flower off of one of the wreaths.

"What are you doing?" Sam demanded in a panic, reaching to steal the flower from his hand.

"Put it down!" Tucker agreed.

The hybrid smiled and lightly rubbed the flower bud against his cheek. "They're fake, guys," he explained, holding back a chuckle. He rubbed the flower against his face a few more times before tucking it into Sam's hair.

Sam and Tucker proceeded to eye the stack of wreaths in the techno geek's arm and leveled stares at each other. "…we're idiots," the Goth muttered. "We didn't even check first."

"All this labor for nothing…" Tucker moaned, dropping the flowers to the floor.

Danny snickered and moved to hang his arms over his friends' shoulders. "Thanks, though," he chirped. "I appreciate the effort. Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day~ See you guys in class." With that said, he casually strode down the hallway, smiling to himself and leaving his best friends behind.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Sam muttered, pulling the flower from her hair. She gave it a second glance, however, and placed it back, figuring that if Danny put it there, she'd pretend to tolerate this crappy excuse for a holiday just to see his face when he found her still adorning it.


	13. Grass

"Stop, it tickles…" Danny giggled, swatting his hand at Sam.

"Dude, don't laugh like that," Tucker pleaded. "It's too girly."

"But she won't stop!" He desperately rolled over onto his hands and knees to try to crawl away from the Goth, but she kept at him. He felt something brush the back of his neck, making him create the awkward chuckle once more. "Sam! Cut it out!" A weigh crashed down onto his back, leveling him to the ground. He felt the brushing attack him at an even faster rate, forcing him to try to edge away.

"Sam, leave him alone," Tucker called, screwing around on his PDA at the same time.

"It's funny when he giggles," Sam countered, grinning when Danny did the laugh once more.

"Please! Stop it!" Danny yelled, attempting to turn over.

"I don't think so." Sam wiggled the few pieces of grass over his cheek and he filled the air with his little giggle.

"Danny, you fight deadly ghosts, work your way to pass tests you've never studied for, and manage to keep your identity a complete secret," Tucker listed. "_How_ can you not be able to retain that laugh or to push Sam off? Her only weapon is _grass_."

"But it tickles," Danny retorted weakly. He then paused to let himself think about what Tucker had said. "…okay, I'm pathetic. I am defeated by park grass."

Sam laughed and tickled him again. "It'll be our little secret," she announced, watching his face scrunch up from the grass tip against his skin.

"Not if I'm recording it for the school website," Tucker murmured, setting his PDA to casually point toward the two teens. "Hey, Sam, do it again…"


	14. Obsession

He had to do it. He couldn't help it. He _needed_ to do it. Everything he was worth relied on it. Well, not exactly, but that was what he believed. He couldn't sleep if it wasn't done. He couldn't function. He'd stress and panic and dissolve into a ball of nervousness until it was finished.

Danny silently padded down the sidewalk at nearly two o'clock in the morning, hands shoved into his pockets and head staring straight down at the pavement. His sneakers rarely made a scuffed noise and his breathing didn't even register to count as sound. The smooth breeze gave him the slightest of chills, but he ignored it. It wasn't like he wasn't used to the cold. He was half freaking ghost.

He wasn't sure why he hadn't just flown, but he reasoned it as being that he wanted to calm himself down before arriving at his destination. And arrived he had.

Danny lifted his head up to stare at the dark window, noticing a small glare on the glass by the cause of distant lights. He let out a long breath, feeling some sort of relief from just being close. His blue eyes closed for a moment, trying to piece things back together inside. He crept closer to the wall of the brick house and slunk around to the alleyway beside it. In a glimpse of light, two rings faded over his body, giving him the ability to simply float upwards.

He chose to land on the balcony outside the window, pressing a few finger tips against the pane as he looked inside. A small form was curled up on a bed, back facing Danny. It then shifted and turned toward the windows, getting comfortable once again. The hybrid quietly phased through the wall and touched down on the carpet, emitting a light glow into the room. His green eyes deeply gazed at the form, his feet cautiously creeping forward.

"Sam…" Danny whispered. He carefully brushed a few pieces of raven hair away from her face and smiled softly to himself. She looked so peaceful and at ease, completely unaware of Danny's night time ritual.

His obsession.


	15. Stickers

"One… Two… Three… Four… Five…"

"Katie, please?" Sam begged.

"Six… Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten…" the kindergartner continued.

"Why are we doing this again?" Sam inquired quietly to Danny, him sitting in the tiny chair beside her.

"Because it's our special class field trip," he answered a bit too sweetly. "We get to spend the day with a kindergarten class."

"What comes after ten?" Katie wondered, pausing in her activities. After a moment, she shrugged. "One…Two…Three…"

"Having fun?" Tucker joked, walking past them with his assigned five-year-old.

"It's a blast," Sam deadpanned.

"Four… Five… Six…" Katie stopped and tilted her head to the side at Sam. "You looks funny."

"Maybe because you keep putting stickers all over my face?" Sam supplied, pointing to the sticker packet in Katie's hands. They varied from stars to smiley faces to flowers, all very small and compatible to sit on someone's skin. Sam just happened to be the unlucky victim. She glanced at Danny, who was simply coloring an outlined picture with his kindergartner, Maxine. She couldn't seem happier, babbling about how the red crayon would look better than the yellow crayon for the dress of the picture of Barbie that Danny was forced to scribble on.

"Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten…" Katie finished, grin wide. Her attention turned to Danny next, and she crept toward the unsuspecting teen, a purple star on her finger. She poked his cheek with it. "One…"


	16. Ghost King

"I can't believe he exposed me to my dad…" Valerie grumbled darkly. If she hated Phantom before, she had developed a whole new level on the scale for hatred for how she felt about the hybrid at that moment.

She sat up with a grunt, crossing her arms. She was currently sitting in the middle of her bed, glaring at the opposite wall. She was grounded until further notice for lying about her extracurricular activities to her father, but it wasn't _her_ fault that she had been chosen to fight ghost scum.

"I'm going to get that ghost." She sighed miserably. "As soon as I get my weapons back…" The only thing her father had said was that she was grounded until further notice, which could mean quite a long time. Bored with just laying around her room, Valerie slipped off the bed, still a bit sore from the beat down she received from the Fright Night. But the pull bar next to her door was just calling her name.

"I'll rip him apart and then hand him over to the Fento- No. That's too nice. I'll think of something…" She stopped at the pull bar, suddenly remembering her arm was screwed up. She stormed back to her bed, a new kind of anger flaring in her chest. She couldn't even exercise properly!

"And poor Danny…" Her anger dimmed a bit, changing into sadness. "He was so torn up when Vlad brought him home… I wonder what happened." And as if someone flicked a light switch, she felt angry again as she recalled Phantom's actions before the Ghost King was put in his place. "And how could he just steal the suit? What? Does he want to be in the spotlight _that_ badly? Glory hound!"

"Valerie, are you okay?" Damien called through the door.

"I'm fine, Daddy!" Valerie answered quickly, glowering at the wanted list hanging from her wall. "Just plotting the revenge of that retched monster…" she added under a whisper. "If it wasn't for that Ghost King, too… My list is definitely stacking up. But one thing is clear… Phantom is gonna get his when I get my weapons back."


	17. Headphones

**Featuring: Nebula Thorn and Shane Crane, OCs belonging to Skellingtonfan1.**

**You can find her on my favorite authors list. Hint hint. Wink wink. Go read stories from my Waifu.**

**End Note: This drabble does not follow any particular story line from her works or otherwise.**

* * *

"Is he even aware that we can all see him?" Mr. Lancer asked, quirking an eyebrow at a certain neighborhood superhero.

"No," Sam sighed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at her friend.

"And you say _I'm_ bad," Tucker announced.

"You are," Nebula confirmed, hand on a hip.

"Should we nudge him?" Mr. Lancer asked. "He's making quite the fool out of himself."

"We should just let him go…" Shane suggested with a light shrug. "At least he's not singing like _some_ people we know…"

"Hey!" Tucker objected heatedly. "It wasn't that bad!"

"I think I lost some hearing…" Neb countered, tapping the side of her head to make a point.

"He's completely oblivious," Mr. Lancer stated, still in a bit of awe.

"Isn't he usually?" Tucker hinted and winked at Sam.

"Tucker…" she growled.

"Relax. He can't even hear me, Sam." She glanced back at Danny, who had his eyes closed and was steadily rocking his head to the song playing under his supersized headphones. He'd been doing that for the last half an hour during study hall, totally unaware that everyone was watching him.

"When are you going to tell him?" Neb smirked and crossed her arms; Sam blushed.

"What do you mean?" the Goth sputtered.

"Please, Manson, we all know you like him."

"So? It's not like he's bright enough to figure it out."

"You should just tell him," Shane pointed out. "It'd be easier, you know."

"Yeah, I'm just going to come out and tell him like you did with Neb," Sam scoffed. "Besides," she gestured to the headphones, "he wouldn't _hear_ me."

"Then I dare you to tell him now. Since he can't hear you and all."

Sam paused, a twinge of nervousness hitting her gut. Still, she narrowed her eyes in a challenge. "Fine. You're on." She ventured closer to Danny and leaned in to be near one of the headphones. Clearly, she proclaimed, "I like you as more than a friend." She stepped back and smugly smiled at Shane. "See?"

"…Sam?" Said teen froze, her eyes widening. She slowly turned to see Danny staring back at her with a mimic expression.

"Danny…?" Sam returned, the name coming out as nothing more than a hesitant squeak.

"…the song ended."

"Ha, you're right, Sam," Neb agreed with a laugh. "He _wouldn't_ hear you."


	18. Powerful

I watched him even more closely as time passed. I examined his stances, his statistics, and his grades. I knew about every fight he stepped in, no matter when or where it was. I _knew_ everything there was to know about him, while he hadn't the slightest clue.

He was powerful.

I hadn't noticed it the first time we fought. I hadn't noticed it the second. Not even the third. But then, little things stood out to me. He was less unsteady with his fight stance. He became faster, more prepared. And his grades improved, despite the late hours of "hero work."

When I dabbled a little deeper, the things I found were…extraordinary.

He was developing quicker than even the strongest full ghosts. He was developing quicker than _I_ had. He grew at an unnatural speed, gaining height and bulk, fully developed by the end of his second year of high school. He towered over the tallest of jocks, whom still had a long ways to go. But he hid his strength under baggy shirts and jeans. It almost made me laugh when I thought about how any of them would react if he wore more fitting clothes to school just _one_ day.

Mentally, he was still learning, growing. However, he had acquired so much…knowledge, experience, to make him strong. It wasn't easy to break him down, even on a bad day. He was sharp. At least, sharp in combat; everyday affairs were a completely different matter. He was rather clueless when it came to the rundown of blunt and clear events. Take the Manson girl, for instance.

Powerful he was, though. Just the raw energy raging inside of him. And he didn't have the slightest idea about it. I knew more about him than _he_ did. He was more powerful than I ever was. And I silently counted down the days until he could rightfully defeat me. It would be a bittersweet day when he found his true power.

I sighed and furrowed my brow when Daniel shot me a dirty look from across the room. He was not pleased to have me in his home. He never was.

_Relax_, I mused, _in a few years, you won't have to put up with me. You'll discover what you can become. You'll beat me once and for all._ I cracked a smirk in his direction. _But until then, I won't stop trying to get you on my side._


	19. Markers

"Quit screwing around and get to work on the poster," Star snapped.

"I am," Tucker muttered back. "You just need to lighten up."

"Don't tell me what to do, Foley. This has to be finished before Paulina comes back!"

"Well, yelling isn't going to help anything," he explained, waving his red marker around in the process. "You just have to go with the flow- Oh…" He froze and gaped at Star's face, where a thin red streak was drawn across her cheek.

Her eye twitched. "Foley."

"Um…sorry?" Star lashed out with her blue marker, successfully making a line on his forehead. "Hey!"

"You deserve it, loser." She looked back to the poster to see what else had to be done; in the meantime, Tucker secretly pulled the cap off of a green marker.

He drew a line done her arm. "It's a good color on you."

Star gaped at the mark before retaliating with a purple one immediately after, getting around his nose. Tucker narrowed his eyes at her and she did the same. Silence weighed down on them until all hell broke lose.

Sometime later, Pauline slipped back into the room, calling out, "Is that poster done yet?" She stopped dead and dropped the box of supplies in her arms. Multitudes of colors dotted Tucker and Star, and the teens were laughing themselves to tears. "What is going on here?!"

Star glanced up, still giggling. "I'm just lightening up," she announced flippantly. "Like…you'd look awesome in pink, too…" The blonde warningly held up a marker matching that color and smirked.

"And maybe some orange…" Tucker hinted as well.

Paulina avidly shook her, backtracking from the room. "Oh, no! I don't think so! Get those away from me, you losers!"

It was too bad that she couldn't outrun them.


	20. Paulina's Shrine

"It's sickening," Sam announced in disgust. "Absolutely sickening."

"I think it's kind of cute," Danny admitted.

"That's because it's about you."

"True…"

"It's more obsessive," Tucker cut in. "That _can't_ be healthy."

"See?" Sam said. "Even Tucker agrees."

"Yeah, but still…" Danny trailed off.

"Okay, put it this way. What if she had it devoted to your human half?"

Danny paused and narrowed his eyes in thought. He made a face. "Oh, that's creepy."

"Exactly. So… It's not cute. It's sickening, like I said. And maybe you should tell her as Phantom to back off!"

"That's mean," Danny scolded lightly. "Besides, she's not doing anything crazy."

"She stalks your ghost fights."

"So?"

"She takes pictures of you every chance she gets."

"And?"

"I heard she has a picture of your ghost form in boxers."

"So- What?" Danny snapped his head around to look at Sam. "How'd she even get one of those?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe when a ghost tore up your suit? But I heard she has it."

"…well, so…?"

"Danny, she's nuts."

"It's not that bad."

"Look at her locker."

"That's what we've been doing."

"But look at it again. Just look at it."

Danny sighed and glanced at Paulina's open locker. "I looked," he offered sarcastically.

"And what do you see?"

"…"

"Danny?" Tucker prompted.

"…okay, yeah, she's obsessive."

"The shrine has gone _way_ too far…" Sam finished, scowling at the assortment of pictures, candles, and plush dolls sitting inside the vicinity of the locker. Paulina gazed at it lovingly before shutting the door and prancing down the hallway. "Utterly nuts."


	21. Book

"Where…do you…want…these?" Tucker gasped, his arms holding a large pile of books.

Jazz smiled appreciatively at him. "On the table over there," she answered, pointing as she led the way. She dropped into one of the chairs and Tucker slammed the books down with a bang and plopped into the seat beside her, out of breath. "Thanks, Tuck."

"Sure thing, Jazz. But why so many?"

"I want to do some researching on ghosts, the paranormal, and…stuff."

Tucker pulled out his PDA, glancing over at her. "You said the last part funny."

Jazz shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Oh, really?" he challenged. "Let me see some of the books then."

"No. You don't need to. Besides, you had your chance when you were carrying them."

"I was too busy trying to not drop them."

"That's not my fault…" She snatched a book and held it in a way to hide her face.

"Some of these don't look like research books."

"Shut up. Go away, actually."

"Make me." He propped his feet up on the table and grinned.

"It's nothing…"

"That's not how it sounds."

Jazz huffed and lowered her book to her lap. "Fine, I'm looking up stuff about…dating."

He scoffed. "_You_? Jazz, why should you be worried about that kind of stuff?"

"Because I'm awkward! I'm book smart and I make weird jokes and names for things and I'm…a nerd. I'm awkward."

"You're not awkward! You're fun and pretty and you know a ton of stuff! You're not awkward! You're an awesome person!" Jazz blushed at him and resumed hiding her face behind the book. Tucker watched her in confusion for a while before realizing what he had said. "Oh…"

"…you really think so?" the redhead mumbled.

He carefully reached a hand out and pushed the book down. "I…uh…can help you research some stuff…if you want…"

She smiled and bit her lip. "I think I might like that…"


	22. Spectrophobia

"I'm…" Danny trailed off. Expectant eyes bore into him. "I'm…um…"

"Come on, Fenton," Dash sneered. "Just answer the question. How come you're never around during a ghost fight? Everyone else is!"

The hybrid swallowed and glanced to his friends for help; their concerned faces gave absolutely nothing. "Well, I'm…"

"You're what?"

He had to think fast- "I have spectrophobia," he confirmed and bit down on his lip, feigning embarrassment.

Valerie sent him a strange look, inquiring slowly, "You're…afraid of ghosts?"

Danny nodded his head. "Yeah… I- They scare me. A lot. I'm afraid of ghosts."

"Your parents are ghost hunters," Paulina announced. "How…?"

"I just… I'm afraid of ghosts. They scare me. They really scare me. So… When I see one, I run away. I just run away and hide."

"You, like, helped us get our parents back off of that pirate ship," Star pointed out.

Danny held back a wince. "Um… Well, they're our parents. Someone had to do something. And you guys didn't know. But I was terrified. And when I fell off that plank… Well… Now, I'm even more deathly afraid of them. So I run and wait until they're gone. I'm really afraid of ghosts. Right, Sam? Tucker?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sam agreed quickly. "He won't even watch _Casper the Friendly Ghost_ with us. It's really strong. And when we checked out _13 Ghosts_… He was nearly in tears. It's was that bad."

"Yep! I guess I didn't get my parents genes, huh? I am so spectrophobic… I don't even want to be talking about this now. It's too strong… It's freaking me out."

Valerie pursed her lips, clearly not buying it. "Fine, Fenton, but don't think I won't be keeping an eye on you."

"Val, I can promise you that I am—"

"Beware!" The Box Ghost suddenly phased through the ceiling.

Danny took the chance and ran with it.

He let out a shrill scream and fell out of his chair, gripping the leg of the desk. "Get it away! Get it away!" he pleaded, shutting his eyes. "God, get rid of it!"

Sam and Tucker did everything they could not to laugh as the Box Ghost simply floated above them, utterly confused by the situation while Danny kept up his act of having a complete breakdown.

"Okay…he's spectrophobic," Valerie relented. "If anyone could be afraid of the Box Ghost…"


	23. Arachnophobia

"Oh, my God! Do something!" Danny yelled. "Please! Somebody kill it!" He wrapped his arms around himself while he stood on top of the window sill in Mr. Lancer's class.

"Danny," Sam tried.

"Kill it! Kill the son of a bitch!" The raven haired teen leaned against the windows and slid down, his eyes bugging out of his head while he stared at his desk.

"Mr. Fenton, language," Mr. Lancer warned. "And come down from there."

"No!" Danny countered. "It's huge! Look at it! It's going to eat me! Kill it! Damn it, don't just let it walk around!"

Sam shook her head and looked down at the spider sitting on top of Danny's desk. It wasn't even big enough to cover half of someone's pinky nail. But the second it fell in front of him, he screeched and wound up on the window sill, knocking over his chair in the process. People were still wondering how he got over there so fast. "Danny, it's a little spider," she explained. "It can't hurt you."

"Like hell it can't! Look at it! Look at that spawn of _Satan_! It's sitting on my desk! Kill it!" Danny moved his arms around his knees, crouching down as small as he could be. It wouldn't have seemed as pathetic if some of the girls were afraid, but not even Paulina was flinching.

"I'm not going to kill it," Sam said. "It's a living thing. I'll just let it out the window and then it'll be all better."

"No! It doesn't deserve to be set free! It'll come back with reinforcements! Kill the spider! Please, get rid of it!"

"Dude, lower your voice," Tucker grumbled. "You're giving me a headache."

"Then kill it!" Danny retorted. He rested his chin on his knees and let out a whimper. "Oh, God. It's so huge…"

"Are you seriously going to cry over it? Because you need help if you're going to cry over it."

"No!" Danny began firmly. "I need you to kill it! _Kill it_! It can't be let go! It'll come back! It'll get me! For the love of God, kill that monster!"

"Miss Manson," Mr. Lancer started impatiently. "If you can just get it out of here, then we can get back to our work."

"Sure thing," the Goth said. The little spider crawled an inch and Danny yelped, covering his face so he didn't have to see it. She ripped a piece of paper from her notebook and carefully herded the spider onto it. She approached the windows and stopped. "Danny, I'm going to let it out the windows."

His head snapped up and he stared at her. "No. Sam, please! Just keep it away from me! Squish it! I am begging you!" he cried. She took a step forward and he scrambled away from the windows, hiding behind Tucker and gripping his friend's shoulders with white knuckles as Sam easily disposed of the spider. She threw the piece of paper into the recycling bin and crossed her arms at Danny.

"Are you done acting like a baby?" she questioned.

He glared at her. "Don't give me that look! It was huge and scary and I don't like spiders!"

"'Like' is an understatement, man," Tucker admitted. "You have the most extreme case of arachnophobia I have ever seen."

"I don't like spiders," he sniffed quietly. "I really don't like spiders…"


	24. Box Lunch: the ghost

Danny wanted to gag.

They actually got married and they actually had the ghost kid and they actually _came to Danny to ask him to baby-sit_.

"Uh… Well, erm—"

"Oh, come now, dear," Lunch Lady cooed. "It's only one night."

He glanced at the toddler babbling in her mother's arms. She bounced a little and reached her arms out toward him. He'd known about her for a while, but this was the first time he was actually seeing her. And maybe she wasn't _completely_ an "ew" factor when glanced at, but still… Her parents were the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady.

"Well…" Danny bit his lip.

"Do it or you shall face the wrath of the almighty Box Ghost!" Box Ghost ranted.

The hybrid raised an eyebrow. "Why are you coming to me, though?"

"Well, you know how to protect yourself and you're not too irresponsible," Lunch Lady explained. "And you're the only one we can find."

"Gee, thanks," Danny grumbled, hand rubbing the back of his neck. "…do I at least get paid?"

"Beware that you don't!" Box Ghost shouted.

"You married him _why_?" he wondered skeptically as the toddler was forced into his arms.

"Have fun, sweetie!" Lunch Lady smiled kindly for a moment before glaring with a harsh rage. "And if you mess up, face my meaty _doom_!"

Danny bounced back a foot and Box Lunch giggled as the two ghosts vanished.

"…of all the ghosts who could've gotten married, it had to be the two lamest. And _you_," he looked down at Box Lunch, "should be ashamed of your parents when you're older." She patted his cheek with a hand, and he cracked a smile. "Just don't be as annoying, okay?" _I'd rather be watching a kid spawned from Ember and Skulker…_ "And stop being so cute… You're still classified as "ew" in my book…"


	25. Box Lunch: the meal

"Danny! Danny, gimme back my scrunchie!" Sam yelled as she chased after him. He dodged her and spun around in the cafeteria, holding it above her head.

"Nope!" Danny chirped, chuckling. He grinned at her and lifted his arm a little higher.

"Danny!" Sam complained and crossed her arms; she pouted at him and huffed. "Please? Come on. Give it back or I'll kick you." She smiled wide in content as he hurriedly handed back her hair tie; she set to work on recreating her signature ponytail, which was a bit difficult at her age.

The raven absentmindedly chewed on his lip and stared back at their table. There was Tucker beside Sam's seat, and across from him was Ricky Marsh, who had just left the table to dump his tray-

Danny's eyes suddenly grew twice their normal size as he noticed Tucker's face go green. The boy quickly reached for the closet thing and then subtly folded his hands in his lap and stared at the table, probably expecting that no one had seen him.

"How do I look?" Sam wondered, once again facing Danny. Her back had been turned the entire time. "Danny? Danny!"

"Huh?" Danny jumped, snapping his head to look at her. "Oh… You…um…look great."

"Good." She led the way back to the table just as the lunch monitor called for recess, creating a bit of chaos between the other students. Though she didn't need to open her lunch box to realize what had occurred… "Ew! Who did this? They're gonna be dead!"

Tucker paled, immediately panicking as he sputtered out, "R- Ricky Marsh did it!"

Danny gawked and blinked at his friend while Sam dangerously locked her eyes on said accused, who was innocently walking out the cafeteria doors.

"I'm going to kick him off the monkey bars for that."


	26. Ghost Wedding

**Thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts! ;)**

* * *

**_You are cordially invited to attend the ceremonial wedding of Lady Dora and Prince Jeremiah._**

**_Date: Saturday, June 8th_**

**_Location: Baptist Church on Main Street, Amity Park_**

**_Time: 3 o'clock_**

**_RSVP: May 1st_**

Danny furrowed his brow and glanced at Sam. "I didn't know she was getting married," he commented. "And who is this guy?"

"I don't know," she said with a casual shrug, curling her arms around his waist.

"And how come it's in Amity?"

"Maybe she wants it to be modern…?"

"Maybe…" He pecked her on the lips before roaming away to join Tucker in their usual booth at the Nasty Burger.

Sam chuckled and gave a secretive smirk.

"He has no idea, does he?" Valerie mused from beside her.

"Not a clue," the Goth responded. "He's already agreed to having a wedding, but he hasn't been straightforward about the arrangements."

"This was a good idea. And the best part is that even if a reporter asks, he won't have any answers to your big day. The world hero's wedding will be a surprise."

"Even for the hero himself. And Dora's already agreed to play the part until he's standing at the altar as a "best man." Then I'll come down the aisle and hopefully, it'll click in that dense head of his."

"Hopefully," the huntress agreed. "And now, he won't be panicked about it, too."

"Yup. He'll be eased into the process." Sam chuckled again. "Anyway, I need to go help _Dora_ pick out her new dress, so I'll catch up with you later."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Fenton."

"Not until June eighth, Val. Not until then…"


End file.
